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PRESS RELEASE: Rep. Mike Cierpiot Urges Attorney General Koster to Join Lawsuit Opposing Obama’s Unconstitutional Executive Amnesty

NEWS From the Office of

Rep. Mike Cierpiot

 

30th District

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Jan. 13, 2015

 

 

CONTACT:  Rep. Mike Cierpiot

573-751-0907

 

 

Rep. Mike Cierpiot Urges Attorney General Koster to Join Lawsuit Opposing Obama’s Unconstitutional Executive Amnesty

 

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – House Assistant Majority Leader Mike Cierpiot today called on Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster to join with more than 20 states around the nation that have come together to oppose President Obama’s decision to suspend the nation’s immigration laws. Cierpiot recently filed HCR 12, which urges Koster to support an amicus brief supported by U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, and join a lawsuit filed by attorneys general and governors from 25 states.

 

“It’s imperative that our president respect the rule of law, the limits on his own presidential power, and the checks and balances our Constitution puts in place to prevent one branch of government from trumping the rest,” said Cierpiot, R-Lee’s Summit. “Our system of government does not empower the president to unilaterally change the law. It is time for our attorney general to take a stand against this unlawful overreach of executive power and defend the rights of the American people and legal immigrants.”

 

Cierpiot added, “Thankfully we have seen strong leadership from Senator Blunt as he has joined with a large and growing number of his colleagues who understand the importance of keeping the president from trampling on our constitution with another executive power grab. We need this same kind of leadership on the state level from Attorney General Koster, who should already be fighting to reign in this out-of-control executive branch that continues to disregard the rights of the people and the checks and balances inherent in our system of government.”

 

The amicus brief joined by Sen. Roy Blunt is led by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and co-signed by U.S. Senator John Cornyn, as well as a number of members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The brief makes clear that the president’s executive action “changes the law and sets a new policy, exceeding [the president’s] constitutional authority and disrupting the delicate balance of power.”

 

The lawsuit filed and joined by a coalition of 25 states alleges that the president violated his obligations under the Constitution’s Take Care Clause, as well as the Administrative Procedure Act and federal immigration statutes. The lawsuit claims changes to these laws should be made by Congress, not the President.

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